We aren't too fancy around here but we're hungry often, so its about time I learn how to cook. I figure if I don't learn now, we're gonna have to eat cardboard forever. Most of these aren't my own ideas but I can follow a recipe and take a crappy iPhone picture of it. The fire alarm goes off at least once a week but hopefully somewhere along the way I'll figure out how to make something of my own. Maybe.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Jap Chae is a Korean dish, made using glass noodles. These vermicelli type noodles are made from sweet potato starch. When I think vermicelli, my mind goes directly to the rice kind, often used in Vietnamese dishes, so I was excited to try this sweet potato version. Pretty easy to make, Jap Chae was an instant hit in this house hold.Here's a little history. History is always pretty interesting....Japchae was first made in the early 17th century, when the Joseon Dynasty was reigning in the Korean peninsula. When King Gwanghaegun hosted a big party at his palace, one of his lieges, Yi Chung, created this dish to please the king’s palate. The king liked this dish so much that he rewarded his liege by promoting him to the position of hojo panseo (hangul: 호조판서, hanja: 戶曹判書, equivalent to the Secretary of the Treasury).[1] At the time, japchae was made with vegetables and mushrooms, such as sliced cucumber, shredded mu, and pyogo (shiitake) mushroom. Since the early 20th century, dangmyeon (cellophane noodles made from sweet potato starch) has become an integral and primary ingredient of this variety of japchae.(Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japchae)INGREDIENTS:

Boil the noodles for approx. 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil - this helps prevent sticking.

Chop all your vegetables. I was able to find fresh wood ear mushrooms at the Asian market. If you can't, you can always grab some of the dried ones, or even some shitake. For the dried ones, you'll have to soak them in water for about 15 minutes, drain them and then they'll be ready to cook.

Mix the soy sauce and sugar and set aside.

Fire up your wok. Add the tablespoon of oil in and swirl it around to coat the wok.

Start with the carrots and onions. You'll want to stir fry them until they are soft.

Next, toss in the garlic, scallions, and mushrooms. Stir fry for half a minute.

Now add the spinach, noodles, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix it all together and stir fry until the spinach has wilted, and the noodles are heated through.